93-3-1 Public Meeting to Consider Guidelines on the 001 Generation and Use of Mobile Source Emission Reduction Credits.

ITEM NO.: 93-3-1

Public Hearing to Consider Guidelines on the Generation and Useof Mobile Source Emission Reduction Credits.

RECOMMENDATION

The staff recommends that the Board approve guidelines for airpollution control and air quality management districts(districts) for development and implementation of mobile sourceemission reduction credits. Further, the staff recommends thatthe guidelines be forwarded to the districts for use indeveloping rules and regulations governing mobile source emissionreduction credit programs.

DISCUSSION

We have identified a need, along with the districts and industry,to provide additional flexibility in meeting California's airquality goals. One mechanism for providing this flexibility isthrough the generation of mobile source emission reductioncredits. In response to this interest, the ARB staff released aconcept paper entitled: "Mobile Source Emission ReductionCredits: A Concept Paper on the Generation of Emission ReductionCredits from Mobile Sources." This concept paper was presentedto the Board in August 1992 as an informational item.

At the direction of the Board, the staff has transformed theconcept paper into guidelines for districts planning to developmobile source emission reduction credit programs. In preparingthe guidelines, the staff addressed comments and questionsregarding the concept paper that were raised through letters andtwo public consultation meetings.

These guidelines address the development of a program, the use ofthe credits, and procedures for generating credits through threeprograms: accelerated retirement of older vehicles, purchase oflow-emission buses, and purchase of zero-emission vehicles.

SUMMARY AND IMPACTS

The ARB has the primary responsibility for control of emissionsfrom motor vehicles. These guidelines were developed in order toensure compatibility between district mobile source emissionreduction credit programs and the ARB's comprehensive motorvehicle emissions control program.